Fundraising Ideas

Make Friends with OYT South

What are you going to do to raise money?

Here are a selection of ideas to inspire you.
Have a think about what kind of fundraising would suit you.

Are you raising money singlehanded or is it a team effort?

Are you a sporty type or would you rather get creative and make things to sell?

Would you enjoy looking silly or do you fancy showing off your greatest skill?

Whatever you choose, make sure the idea is something you can do safely and something that people will want to support.

Find the ideas that work for you

Jump straight to the section that you want, or browse the whole list for maximum inspiration!
We've made suggestions about which ideas are great if you're fundraising solo and which would be brilliant to take part in as a team - look out for the icons as you read through the list.

Sponsored Bike Ride, Run or Swim - Forget miles or lengths, get sponsored for every boat length.Prolific is 30 metres long - so if you swim a mile, that's about 53.6 boat lengths!

Sponsored WalkWhy not get together and get sponsored for a great day's exercise? Give your walk a theme that makes sense where you are and you're onto a winner. How about walking to every school in your town? Or, if you have a large shopping center, what about getting sponsored by local shops to see how many circuits of the shopping center you can make? There'll be plenty of extra people to see what you are up to and add a donation while you're there.

Stair Climbing RelayPerfect if your school has lots of stairs in it!

Sporting ChallengeWhatever your sport, there's a skill involved so why not put it to the test with a sporting challenge? Whether you get sponsored for every second you keep a football in the air, the number of runs you can get in a game of cricket or the number of baskets you can score in a set time, your skills can earn you cash towards your OYT South voyage. Don't forget, the more the merrier, so turn your challenge into a team event and get supporters to cheer you on.

Biscuits at BreakGet your apron out and start baking biscuits. Whether you make this a team effort, or a solo success, you can be sure that everyone will be delighted to buy one of your biscuits. You'll need to spend some money on the ingredients, so have a think if there is someone who might be happy to help you out with the costs. Then get in the kitchen and see what you can create. You'll find loads of different recipes online, so try making a few different kinds so that there is something for everyone. Ask if you can sell the biscuits at school or, if you are organising another fundraising event, why not keep your supporters well-fed with a biscuit stall?

Cake StallOnce you've mastered biscuits, why not more on to making cakes? Find out if there is somewhere in your town where you could set up a Saturday cake stall. If you make it a regular event, you'll soon build up a loyal following for your sweet treats. Don't forget to keep looking for places to sell your cakes - Christmas Fayers and Summer Fetes are a great opportunity. Mkae sure you take along some information leaflets to let people know why you are raising money - and advertise your stall with some of our posters.

Get CraftyIf you're a creative type, see what you can make and sell. From bookmarks and birthday cards to jewellery, hats and scarves, a little bit of time spent making nice things will soon see you making money for your trip. Why not think about themeing your creations? You want to come on a boat, so how about sailing boat necklaces or seagull birthday cards? Get the team together and come up with some ideas. Then start planning where you can sell your crafts. Ask around and see if adults will help by selling things to their work colleagues. The secret is, don't be shy - be proud of what you've made and soon, everyone will want one.

Dress UpWe're not sure why, but nothing seems to get people giving like the idea of you looking silly. So, we suggest, give up being cool for a day and get sponsored to get silly. The more of you that get involved the better (and the less silly you will feel), so get together, make a plan and spread the word. Ask your school if you can wear your outfits to school, then get sponsored. Or what about sharing the fun and asking if you can have a no-uniform day? If everyone in your school gives 50p to dress as they like, that'll soon add up and get your sailing fund started.

Wear your WelliesWhen you come on Prolific, you may well be needing your wellies, so why not get some practice in and raise money at the same time? How about getting sponsored to wear your wellies to school for a week?

Cut your Hair; Grow your BeardHave you got an impressve head of hair? Boys, are people always telling you your hair needs a cut? Well, take advantage and tell them you'll only get the scissors out for sponsorship. Alternatively gentlemen, why not grow some attractive facial hair and get sponsored for every day you don't shave? If you are lucky enough to already have a handsome beard or moustache... then consider shaving for sponsorship instead!

Share your SkillsAre you a master at gaming? Are your chords the envy of your guitar playing mates? Whatever your skill, maybe you could raise money by sharing it. Organise a gaming workshop and charge for entry or offer lessons for an hourly rate. Whatever you can do, you can be sure they'll be someone who wants to learn how, so take advantage and use your skills to save for your voyage with OYT South.

Get People GuessingOne of life's great truths is that people like to think they are right. So any activity that gives them a chance to try and prove how clever they are is a grand idea. For these kind of challenges, you need a prize to encourage people to enter, so start by asking around local shops and businesses to see if they will donate a prize. Once the reward is in place, it is time to think of a challenge. Remember, these only work if people are guessing the answer - it's no fun if someone can just look it up.

From asking people to guess how many Jelly Beans are in your jar, to getting them to estimate the combined length of everyone in your group lying down head-to-toe, there really is no end to the things people can be asked to estimate. All that matters is that you can find out the correct answer at the end. Charge people a small price to make a guess and award your donated prize to the person who gets closest to the right answer.

Want more ideas for guessing challenges?

How about these sailing-related ideas, which are great for helping you explain to people all the skills you will learn on your trip.

Guess the wind speedFind out who can sniff out a breeze by getting people to guess what the maximum wind speed will be at a specific time in a specific place.

Chances are, your voyage with OYT South will start in the Solent, so why not get people to guess the wind speed on Bramble Bank? It's a shallow bit of water in the Solent and the wind speeds are measured, recorded and available for you to look at online.

So, pick a day a few weeks ahead and get people to guess the maximum wind speed at, say, 6 o'clock in the evening. Then, stop accepting guesses the day before. On your chosen day, wait patiently until 6 o'clock and then go to the Bramble Met website here.

In the top, left hand corner you will see the Highest Gust given as a number of knots (this is what wind speed is measured in). The person whose guess is nearest the number you see, wins the prize! Hooray for them. How long is a piece of rope?Forget how long is a piece of string, get nautical and get people guessing.

For this you'll need to be able to tie some knots - something you'll get plenty of practice with when you join the OYT South voyage. For now, take a look online or get yourself a book of knots and start practicing. Then, get a long piece of rope - the longer the better. Measure it and keep the length a very big secret. Now, start tying knots. As many different ones as you can in the same piece of rope. Keep tying until there is no spare rope and then you are ready to gather your guesses.

Take the rope to school, to fetes and events. Get people to take it to work with them. Anything to ensure you get as many guesses as possible. Each time, charge people a small amount to guess how long they think the rope is when all the knots are untied. Write down all the guesses and then, when you have exhausted all your guessing occassions, take a look down the list to find out whose guess is nearest the right answer - and then let them have the good news and their prize!

Make Yourself UsefulSometimes what people really want is your time - so why not volunteer to spend some time helping out in return for some sponsorship?

Washing cars, making tea, cleaning the house, ironing - all those jobs that other people think of as annoying are your new best friends because all they really need from you is time. Why not make a regular weekly date to clean the cars in your neighbourhood? Explain what you will do and let people know why you want to raise the money. There are all sorts of jobs you can help out with, so get together and come up with a list. Then why not make a leaflet to spread the word?

Don't forget - not only are jobs easier with a few of you, it's a bit safer too. So if you are going to help out your neighbours, make it a team effort and be sure that somebody knows where you are going and how long you will be.

FUNDING HELP

The Ocean Youth Trust has a number of schemes to help provide additional funding so that young people can sail with us. Find out if you can apply for one of our Awards or Bursaries to help with the cost of your trip.

ADULT SUPPORTERS

You might be too old to qualify as crew but, just because you won't be raising sails doesn't mean we don't need your help raising funds. Whether you are working with young fundraisers, raising money yourself or would like to make a donation - your support is invaluable. Our main website has information on volunteering, making donations and becoming a member of our Sea Staff

SELL YOUR STUFF

Turn the things you don't want into money. Whether you are saving up for your own voyage or want to raise money to donate, eBay is the answer. Don't worry if you haven't done it before, we have a guide to getting started.

POSTERS

Whatever you've got planned, having a few posters is always a good idea. We've also got sponsorship forms and information slips to help you explain all the good things that the money you raise will be spent on.